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Michael Oher's Adoptive Brother Sean Tuohy Jr. Denies Family Made Millions From The Blind Side
View Date:2025-01-18 20:31:21
Sean "SJ" Tuohy Jr. is sharing his side just hours after Michael Oher filed a lawsuit against his family.
The retired NFL player—whose journey served as the inspiration for the movie The Blind Side—recently filed a petition in a Tennessee court, alleging that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy lied about adopting him and instead became his conservators, accusing them of earning millions in the process.
In his filing, Michael claimed that the 2009 movie paid the Tuohys and their two children, SJ and Collins, $225,000 each, plus 2.5 percent of the film's "defined net proceeds."
Now, the family's youngest son is speaking out against the allegations, noting that he can "completely understand" why the former Tennessee Titans player might be upset.
"I'm gonna preface this by saying that I love Mike at 16, I love Mike at 37, and I [will] love him at 67," Sean Touhy Jr., also known as SJ, said during his Aug. 14 appearance on Barstool Radio. "There's not gonna be any dossier or thing that happens that is going to make me say, ‘Screw that guy.' That's not the case."
However, the 30-year-old denied the assertion that their family made a large profit from the film starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron, which ended up grossing over $300 million after its release.
"Man, if I had $2 million in my bank account, it would be in my email signature and say, ‘Signed, SJ Tuohy, multi-millionaire,'" he said, adding, "I get it, why he's mad. I completely understand. It stinks that it'll play out on a very public stage."
But SJ went on to note that he doesn't have any negative feelings to share amid the legal move.
"You will never hear me say anything bad about Michael Oher in any capacity other than I'm upset that he feels the way that he does," SJ continued. "I think some of the things that were mentioned in the probate or book or whatever I don't necessarily agree with and or remember happening like that."
E! News has reached out to Michael's attorney and they declined to comment publicly.
In his 14-page petition obtained by E! News Aug. 14, Michael alleges that instead of the Touhys formally adopting him, he was "falsely advised" to sign a document that made the couple his conservators after he turned 18 years old in 2004.
The athlete accuses the Tuohys of having "enriched themselves," as well profiting from the "lie" and is seeking his fair share of profits, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, SJ's dad Sean Tuohy Sr. reacted to the petition, noting that that his family is "devastated" over the allegations.
"It's upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children," he told the Daily Memphian Aug. 14. "But we're going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16." Sean also said that they "didn't make any money off the movie," but later clarified his stance.
"Well, Michael Lewis, the [author of the book on which the movie was based] gave us half of his share," he told the outlet. "Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each."
As for the former NFL player, he broke his silence after his filing, noting he was "disheartened by the revelation" of the conservatorship.
"This is a difficult situation for my family and me," Michael told the New York Post Aug. 14. "I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself."
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